Part 1 of this Trip Report can be found here.
Part 2 of this Trip Report can be found here.
Part 3 of this Trip Report can be found here.
Part 4 of this Trip Report can be found here.
Part 5 of this Trip Report can be found here.

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Japan does not disappoint as far as traveling and exploration are concerned. There’s always something to be had at every turn. We bought the all-mighty (well, nearly) Japan Railpass for ourselves and went on countless local train or Shinkansen rides. We went to the Westernmost train station of the entire JR network, we went to an onsen in Kyushu that had a super scenic view of a towering mountain, we went to train museums and many more. But for now, it’s time to head back up to Tokyo to ‘settle a score’.

We discovered that we could request for a change to a later flight that is operated by the 744D, the only requirement is that we’d be on standby. With this in mind, we left our accommodation located near Kamata Station relatively early, walked to Keikyukamata Station to board a train service to Haneda Airport.

Our train has arrived

The Keikyu Airport Line ran mostly in tunnels

It didn’t take long for us to reach Haneda Airport as our accommodation was about four stations away.

Familiar signs

Domestic Terminal of HND

The first order of the day was to locate the ANA counters so that we can find out whether our flight, NH55, was still operated by a 744D. The last time we attempted to fly in a 744D, in February 2012, our equipment was swapped to a 773 instead. We arrived at the counter, manned by the ever-smiling ANA girls. We nudged Aaron to the front, as he was the most fluent Japanese-speaking one out of the three of us. Not that I really knew how to speak Japanese, that is.

Aaron initiated a conversation with the ANA girl, asking whether our flight was still operated by a 744D. She gave polite bow, followed by a "はい" as she typed away at her computer. After a few moments, she turned back to look at us and said that NH55 was still operated by a 744. That's a relief! With that information, we thanked her and proceeded with checking in. Time to explore HND and for some spotting.

The driveway of the Domestic Terminal

Spotting opportunities and locations are some of the things that the Japanese airports wins hands down over my home airport. Many of us would be familiar with the absolutely awful double glass and externally shaded panels of the T2 & T3 Viewing Malls of SIN. This is a far cry from the Observation Decks the likes of AND OLD: Hong Kong - Kai Tak International (HKG / VHHH) (closed), China - Hong Kong">HKG, HND or CTS, who prepares paid binoculars and open-air settings for the enjoyment of both travellers or casual airport visitors alike.

A 767 decked out in retro ANA livery

ANA Boeing 777-381 JA754A “Pokemon Peace Jet”

ANA Land

And then this BA bird rotated right in front of us

The sun rising over Tokyo

This tiny one launched itself into the air

More ANA Dreamliners

Parting shot before we left the Observation Deck

Although it was a real pleasure to be spotting at HND’s Observation Deck, the time had come for us to go airside. Security was a fast process, no surprises there, given the Japanese and their reputation with precision and efficiency. We emerged the other side unscathed and headed for our gate, hoping to catch sight of our 744D which must have been towed to the gate while we were busy with screening and everything.

Passport and boarding pass

Going on these to our gate

One of the many gates

And then, we were surprised when we reached our gate. We saw something big AND yellow parked at our gate.

With a blue tail that has a yellow rodent on it.

And giant Pokeballs on its engines!

What luck! Not only did we finally secured a flight on a 744D, but we also had the privilege of flying in the famed Pikachu Jumbo up to Sapporo. This is definitely going down well in our record books! Things are definitely getting interesting.

Our flight’s status TV screen

More Pikachu Jumbo

More ANA 767s as well

Even more Pikachu Jumbo

Aaron’s 747 doll posing with a real life-sized 747 behind it

We explored the terminal enough and went back to our gate. Though it was a 744D, I don’t think that it’ll be filled to the brim for this flight, looking around at our area. Soon, announcements were made (in Japanese, no less) that boarding has commenced. Here we go!

Queueing up in neat fashion is the way to go

Walking through the aerobridge

Thank goodness for the glass walls of this aerobridge

Left or right

We reached the end of the aerobridge and was greeted warmly and enthusiastically by an ANA girl stationed at the door. The flight of stairs leading to the Upper Deck was located conveniently located in front of us the second be stepped on the plane. Up the stairs, we go!

Our seats! Check out those cute headrest covers!

The Upper Deck cabin in its entirety

The other side, our row

The staircase leading down to the Main Deck

The last two rows of seats in the Upper Deck

Having taken enough photographs for now, we settled into our seats. This would be my second Upper Deck flight, which means side storage bins for our use! I really love those storage bins, which saves the trouble of hauling our stuff up to the overhead bins.

Said side storage bins

The view from my seat

Still boarding

I was having a conversation with Aaron and our other friend. I forgot exactly what was said between us, but it resulted in my saying “YES!” quite audibly. At the exact same moment, a group of burly Japanese men emerged from the stairs. One of them enthusiastically mimicked me with a loud “YES!”. I turned to look at him, and this absolute stranger just gave me and toothy grin and chuckled as he walked to his seat in the front with his friends.

Oh, I just love these zany Japanese

Boarding had completed, and the ANA girls prepared the cabin and every passenger for departure. Right on the dot, we began pushing back and taxiied to the active runway almost immediately.

The safety video was playing from those ceiling TV screens

Scenes during our taxi

Even this old 744D has a nose gear camera. Sit down and take notes, Singapore Airlines!

We finally reached the end of the runway after a leisurely taxi. A final turn was made and here we go!

Soon enough, the seatbelt signs were switched off. We immediately launched into action with our cameras! To our left, Mount Fuji came into view.

Another aerial Mount Fuji shot to add to my collection

Japanese landscapes down below

We wandered downstairs to the Main Deck

More PokeEngines

Okay, enough roaming around. Back to our seats!

Knee shot

Feet shot

Tray table still stowed

Seat pocket

The mad cute headrest cover!

Tray table unfolded

Seat pocket contents

The further we flew north, snow appeared

By now, the ANA girls in the galley behind us emerged with their trolley of goods. I was in a spending mood, so I browsed through the menu card and decided on this box of stuff. Aaron had taught me enough basic Japanese for me to order what I want entirely in Japanese, although the ANA girl was smiling away at my accent. Apologies, ANA girl! She was more than willing to oblige to our requests and did so with a bright and wide smile. She ended off the order with her telling us to please enjoy the snacks and drinks. Awesome hospitality right off the bat, ANA!

The box of stuff that I bought from the trolley

I also had purchased some raw fish items when were still at HND. Time to unpack those! I just have a soft spot for raw salmon.

Salmon!

It appears that the entire group of ANA girls serving the Upper Deck has been studying the three of us from the start. Two of them suddenly appeared beside us and offered us Pokemon postcards and ANA candies to go along with it. We were really surprised at this, as they didn’t seem to offer these to the rest of the passengers in the Upper Deck.

The Pokemon postcards. We got four each! Thank you, ANA!

Aaron and the ANA girls were engaged in a lively conversation. Apparently, they said that they were proud to be working for ANA and also proud that ANA was part of Star Alliance. They were doubly excited when we told them that this trip so far has entirely been on Star Alliance Airlines. Triply so when I told Aaron to tell them that so far, ANA is the best performer so far out of all the Star Alliance flights we have taken so far during the trip.

They continued to ask us questions about where we came from, what do we do back home in Singapore, how often do we travel and such with enthusiasm. Aaron mentioned that the 747 is his favorite plane, and they replied that it is theirs too. I think that the ANA girls were really interested in what we had to say. I swear, this is the friendliest set of crew I have ever encountered. Even though they can’t really speak English, and I don’t speak Japanese at all, the service provided by them transcends that obvious language barrier between us and still felt very sincere and personal. Absolute top marks to you, ANA!

More snowy landscapes

The rest of the passengers had dozed off

The ANA girls bowed before taking their leave, to continue with their cabin duties.

Crossing the Tsugaru Strait

Hakodate, Hokkaido has been sighted

Cabin announcements was soon made that we would be descending very soon. Time to do the last thing on the agenda - lavatory visit!

And so, our one and only flight on the Pikachu Jumbo ends with a taxi to the gate.

Winter wonderland CTS

More ANA planes parked at the gates

Maximum thumbs up to this flight!

Upper Deck shot from the front

Staircase again

The rear section of the Main Deck

The front section of the Main Deck

Two ANA girls were stationed at the door. By now, the plane was largely empty and we were the last passengers left on board. The ANA girls bowed to us and thanked us for flying with ANA. In response, we bowed back to them, thanking them for the top notch service even though it was a relatively short flight.

This JAL bird was parked next to us

Larger than life Plusle and Minun

Parked among its sister Boeings

More spotting

And then I forgot that I had left my NEW YORK hoodie in the side storage bin back at my seat. Fortunately, a pair of ANA ground staff were walking past us. Aaron told them that I had left my jacket in the plane and asked if it was possible for us to retrieve it. They smiled and obliged, saying not to worry and that they’ll see to it. They talked on their radio communication device while walking away. About five minutes later, they were seen walking towards us, with my jacket in hand. I bowed and thanked them profusely for their kind assistance. Seriously, from air to ground, ANA is top class!

My dream of sitting on the luggage carousel and going around in circles still has not been achieved

The busy crowd at the Arrival Hall

Status screen of flights for the morning

We decided to head up to the Observation Deck. Might as well, right? A new airport to log in some spotting.

Nice report, and bizarre timing....later today (hopefully) i'll be publishing my NH 744D HND-CTS report! Looks like you had a good flight.

Quoting airbusmango (Thread starter): What luck! Not only did we finally secured a flight on a 744D, but we also had the privilege of flying in the famed Pikachu Jumbo up to Sapporo. This is definitely going down well in our record books! Things are definitely getting interesting.

Thanks! And I really look forward to your 744D HND-CTSTR. Yes, this flight with NH55 is definitely staying at the top of my list for a long time to come! I think HND-CTS might just be my go-to route if I ever fly domestic Japan again~

ANA look great here, much more memorable than my flights on JAL (being a Qantas FF I go into bat for the other team, as it were). The crew sound like a fantastic bunch from start to finish, and its nice of them to have noticed that you were enthusiasts and giving you some goodies to take away. While I think that aircraft might be tad to much Pokemon for my taste, it's nice to see that they keep the theme going on the inside as well.

I'm good. I trust that you are too! Well, this TR was way way way way overdue, it's only right to finish it!

Quoting RyanairGuru (Reply 3):ANA look great here, much more memorable than my flights on JAL (being a Qantas FF I go into bat for the other team, as it were). The crew sound like a fantastic bunch from start to finish, and its nice of them to have noticed that you were enthusiasts and giving you some goodies to take away. While I think that aircraft might be tad to much Pokemon for my taste, it's nice to see that they keep the theme going on the inside as well.

As I mentioned, what's even more fantastic that the ANA Girls managed to make their service feel superbly personal and attentive even though we did not understand each other's language. The goodies were a real treat, of course! But leave it to the Japanese to pull out all the stops in putting a fantastic show, there's never a dull moment

Quoting RyanairGuru (Reply 3):Did you have a good time in Hokkaido? It is a place that I would love to go to next time that I'm in Japan.

Hokkaido is a wonderful winter wonderland! Yes, all you see is snow snow snow during winter and there's no glitzy and glamorous Shinkansens speeding along the countryside like back in Honshu and Kyushu. But that's exactly what I like about it! Take the slower trains to the middle of nowhere and just enjoy the view in places which are otherwise inaccessible by cars. You might just be lucky enough to spot deer or Japanese red foxes scampering in the snowy forest

Look! No HSBC on the jet bridges! Did you had the chance to try those Royce' chocolate though?

Quoting airbusmango (Thread starter):They talked on their radio communication device while walking away. About five minutes later, they were seen walking towards us, with my jacket in hand. I bowed and thanked them profusely for their kind assistance. Seriously, from air to ground, ANA is top class!

One time my colleague left something admittedly minor on his seat and only realized it when we were at baggage claim. He wasn't able to interest anyone in assisting him to retrieve the item. It's a North American airlines who shall remain nameless, and we weren't expecting much anyway. Ultimately my colleague replaced the item on his own, but yes, great service by ANA.

Quoting CdnCactus (Reply 5):I don't know...something about the character design doesn't quite work on plane fuselage in terms of making the characters easily identifiable (yes I know we're talking about Pokemon)

Ahh, if they had giant Dragonites or Eevees on them instead, I'm sure you can identify them easily!

Quoting CdnCactus (Reply 5):
It's like I'm getting eyeballed by those balls for the entire flight...

Quoting CdnCactus (Reply 5):Look! No HSBC on the jet bridges! Did you had the chance to try those Royce' chocolate though?

Trust the Japanese to promote chocolates instead of banks! Nah, I did not have any Royce chocolates. Why have that when you can have the famous Shiroi Koibito?

Quoting CdnCactus (Reply 5):One time my colleague left something admittedly minor on his seat and only realized it when we were at baggage claim. He wasn't able to interest anyone in assisting him to retrieve the item. It's a North American airlines who shall remain nameless, and we weren't expecting much anyway. Ultimately my colleague replaced the item on his own, but yes, great service by ANA.

Ouch, that's awful of them. Not even a single soul working for the Airline was able to assist? I'll be extra sure to not leave anything behind when I'm traveling in the States this December then.

What an amazing report! This was truly the star report of your RTW Star Alliance series (though i thoroughly enjoyed all reports in this series!).

What nice timing to have this report up around the time the Pikachu jumbo was being celebrated before its retirement!

I am due to fly ANA for the first time in about 5 months from now, and i am really looking forward to it! From your TR, and from almost all other TRs on ANA, they appear to be an excellent airline so i am looking forward to it!

Many thanks for sharing this (and the others in the series) great report with us!

Quoting ronerone (Reply 7):What an amazing report! This was truly the star report of your RTW Star Alliance series (though i thoroughly enjoyed all reports in this series!).

And a star experience, it was! Thanks for enjoying this RTW series!

Quoting ronerone (Reply 7):What nice timing to have this report up around the time the Pikachu jumbo was being celebrated before its retirement!

And why not? It's a nice plane to both fly in and look at. It's such a shame that its time was up, but nevertheless we enthusiasts shall NEVER forget it

Quoting ronerone (Reply 7):I am due to fly ANA for the first time in about 5 months from now, and i am really looking forward to it! From your TR, and from almost all other TRs on ANA, they appear to be an excellent airline so i am looking forward to it!

Oh is it, now? I hope you'll have a fantastic first time on ANA! Can we expect a TR on that? :P Perhaps it's just a Japanese hospitality thing in general. I'm sure that JAL provides an equally top-notch service! Hope to try them out some day.

Quoting ronerone (Reply 7):Many thanks for sharing this (and the others in the series) great report with us!

You're welcomed! Stick around, another huge TR is coming up after 2013 ends!

Quoting airbusmango (Thread starter):What luck! Not only did we finally secured a flight on a 744D, but we also had the privilege of flying in the famed Pikachu Jumbo up to Sapporo. This is definitely going down well in our record books! Things are definitely getting interesting.

How nice you could fly on board this colorful jet!!

Quoting airbusmango (Thread starter):It appears that the entire group of ANA girls serving the Upper Deck has been studying the three of us from the start. Two of them suddenly appeared beside us and offered us Pokemon postcards and ANA candies to go along with it. We were really surprised at this, as they didn’t seem to offer these to the rest of the passengers in the Upper Deck.

It's nice they could study you three, and then reward you accordingly. It must make them feel good too, knowing that for most passengers it's just a matter of getting onto the plane and off at their destination.

Quoting airbusmango (Thread starter):Aaron and the ANA girls were engaged in a lively conversation. Apparently, they said that they were proud to be working for ANA and also proud that ANA was part of Star Alliance. They were doubly excited when we told them that this trip so far has entirely been on Star Alliance Airlines

Good service begins with a sense of pride in your job, I guess, and these ANA girls definitely loved their jobs. And they for sure was glad to be part of Star Alliance.

Quoting airbusmango (Thread starter):Triply so when I told Aaron to tell them that so far, ANA is the best performer so far out of all the Star Alliance flights we have taken so far during the trip.

How nice of you to highlight that fact. Though I think one short haul would be enough for give them this status?

What a cultured nation. Would love to go to Japan someday and definitely go there with a Japanese airline. Though I did stop at NRT on my way from LAX to SIN in 2000.

Quoting airbusmango (Thread starter):Two ANA girls were stationed at the door. By now, the plane was largely empty and we were the last passengers left on board. The ANA girls bowed to us and thanked us for flying with ANA. In response, we bowed back to them, thanking them for the top notch service even though it was a relatively short flight.

Quoting airbusmango (Thread starter):Aaron initiated a conversation with the ANA girl, asking whether our flight was still operated by a 744D. She gave polite bow, followed by a "はい" as she typed away at her computer.

From the time you check into the counter you get a bow, till the time one leaves you get a bow.